A dispute is not an accusation of dishonesty. It is a buyer saying the thing that arrived is not the thing they expected, and most of them are resolved by a seller who answers quickly and reasonably.
The ones that go badly almost always went badly because nobody replied.
The clock
Metzee decides a dispute within 48 hours of it being opened.
That is the promise made to the buyer on the screen where they open it. So your response is not due "soon" — it is due inside that window, or the decision gets made without your side of it.
The dashboard flags it as {n} open disputes, with Respond to protect your rating. Treat it as the most urgent thing on your store.
Where to respond
Seller → Orders → open the disputed order. The order shows as Disputed, with · opened {ago}, and the buyer's claim and any photos they attached as Evidence {n}.
1. Read it properly first
Read the claim and look at every photo before writing anything. Half of all disputes are a misunderstanding about what was included, which is answered in one sentence and no refund.
2. Write Your response
The box is Your response to the buyer and Metzee… — up to 2000 characters. Both read it, which should shape how you write.
Four things, in this order:
- What happened, factually and without adjectives.
- What the listing said — quote your own description if it covers this.
- What the evidence shows — point at your photographs.
- What you propose to do about it.
Write it to be read by a stranger with no context, because that is who decides. "The listing states a 2cm scuff on the lower back corner and shows it in photo four" settles a case. "I always describe my items properly" does not.
Do not argue with the buyer. You are not persuading them; you are informing a decision. A reply that reads as calm and specific wins cases that an angry and correct one loses.
3. Attach your evidence
+ Add photos (packing, dispatch receipt…), which appear as Your evidence {n}.
What actually counts, in order of usefulness:
- The item before packing, showing the condition you described
- The packed parcel, showing how it was protected
- The parcel on a scale, if weight is in question
- The dispatch receipt with its date, if timing is in question
- Screenshots of your chat with the buyer, if something was agreed there
This is why packing photographs are worth the ten seconds. Evidence cannot be created after a dispute; it can only be produced.
4. Propose an outcome
Four choices:
Full refund— the fastest end. Right when the claim is fair, or when the item is low-value and arguing costs more than the refund.Partial refund— the most underused. A real flaw that is less than the whole item: the buyer keeps it, you keep most of the sale, nobody pays return postage.Send a replacement— if you have another one and the item was faulty.Reject the claim— when the evidence genuinely supports you. Use it when it is true, and say why in one specific paragraph.
Proposing something is almost always better than proposing nothing. A seller who offers a reasonable partial refund within the hour usually ends the matter there.
Then Send response. You can revise it with Update response while the dispute is open — Update your response….
What happens to the money meanwhile
That order's money is held: Held for disputes, Released once the dispute is resolved. It shows on your payouts screen as money you cannot withdraw.
So an unresolved dispute is not only a rating risk, it is your own cash sitting still. Another reason speed is in your interest.
After the decision
The dispute shows Status: {status} and Resolution: {text}.
A dispute decided against you counts toward Order defect rate, one of the six measured standards. One is survivable and recoverable over the rolling window. A pattern is what closes stores.
The real work is upstream
Almost every dispute traces to one of three things, and all three are preventable:
- A flaw not named → how to describe condition
- A photo that flattered → how to photograph an item
- A parcel that was not protected → how to pack an order
A store with no disputes is not lucky. It is a store that describes things accurately and packs them properly.
Questions people ask
What if the buyer is lying?
Say so with evidence rather than with adjectives, and propose Reject the claim. Photographs of the item before packing are what make that stick.
Can I just refund to make it go away?
Often the right call on a low-value item. It is a business decision, not an admission.
Does a dispute hurt me even if I win?
A dispute decided in your favour is not a defect against you. An unanswered one is the expensive outcome.
Can I speak to the buyer directly?
Yes, and it is often the fastest fix — but put the outcome in Your response too, because the chat is not what the decision reads.
What if it is the courier's fault?
Say so and show the evidence. It affects who bears the cost, not whether the buyer is made whole.
More: disputes from the seller side, how buyer protection works, how refunds work.